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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · bay · bowl · file · arm · field · present · root

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. file — a tool
  3. present — a gift
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. root — the cause
  7. track — a song
  8. root — of a word
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. file — a document
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. field — a subject
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. field — farmland
  17. root — of a plant
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. field — for sport
  24. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com